Joint declaration on the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) 23 November 2017 We, the representatives of the states and regions who have come together as the General Assembly of the Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) in Munich today, REAFFIRMING our intention to implement the Strategy of the European Union for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) together for the benefit of more than 80 million people in 48 regions and seven states in the Alpine Region, including five EU member states and two non-eu member states, RECALLING the political commitments outlined in the Joint Declaration adopted by the General Assembly on the occasion of its meeting on 13 February 2017 in Rottach- Egern, Bavaria, and 25 January 2016 at Brdo, Slovenia, ACKNOWLEDGING the important role of the Alpine Convention, the INTERREG Alpine Space Programme and further funding programmes for the implementation of the Strategy and of all stakeholders as important contributors of ideas, initiatives and activities which are giving life to the Strategy, have agreed on the following: 1. We explicitly welcome the progress achieved to date in the implementation of the Strategy and its Action Plan at all levels, particularly in the Action Groups, as evidenced in the first progress report of the Action Groups presented to the Executive Board of the Strategy. We ask all involved actors to continue their efforts to implement the Strategy to the best of their abilities. 2. We expressly welcome the activities of the Bavarian presidency 2017 that have been undertaken in cooperation with the other partner states and regions of the Strategy, and thank Bavaria for its efforts. In doing so, we endorse the political 1
declaration adopted at the Conference of Environmental Ministers Alpine Green Infrastructure Joining forces for nature, people and the economy on 2 October 2017 in Munich and ask states and regions for initiating on a voluntary basis together with diverse sectors and stakeholders including land owners concrete implementation measures on the spot. 3. To ensure political ownership for the implementation of the Strategy, we hereby endorse the list of implementation priorities from the Action Group Work Plans for the coming year as laid down in the Annex of this declaration. We ask the Executive Board to develop a proposal how implementation priorities from Work Plans of all Action Groups can be submitted to the political endorsement of the General Assembly and to make the implementation of the Strategy more visible to a broad public. 4. We commit ourselves to the targeted use of the available legal and financial instruments within our responsibility and ask the European institutions to ensure that the macro-regional strategies will be adequately considered in the EU Cohesion Policy and other relevant EU policies beyond 2020 according to the principles of the Council conclusions on the Implementation of EU Macro-Regional Strategies, adopted by the Council at its 3531st meeting held on 25 April 2017. In that respect, we particularly thank the European Parliament for its own call for a better embedding of macro-regional strategies in the relevant EU policies post 2020. Likewise, we thank the Committee of the Regions for its support on this topic. We appreciate the close cooperation between the Strategy and INTERREG Alpine Space Programme so far and encourage the Programme to support activities for better coordination and alignment of EU Programmes in the Alpine Region. 5. We commit ourselves to raising the awareness of political leaders, institutional actors and citizens on European, national and regional level for the activities of the Strategy, to activate good governance and citizens engagement with a particular focus on youth and to establishing and fostering cooperation and synergies between the Strategy and existing initiatives in the Alpine region, such as the structured exchange launched between the Alpine Convention s working bodies and the EUSALP Action Groups. 2
6. We extend our special thanks to the European Commission for the continuing close cooperation with and the support of all participants involved in implementing the Strategy. We deem it indispensable that all concerned Directorate-Generals of the European Commission are involved in the implementation of the Strategy. 7. We express our gratitude to the European Parliament for its continuous strong commitment to the implementation of the Strategy, as evidenced by allocating, at the initiative of the European Commission, two million Euro of its 2017 and 2018 budget respectively to a preparatory action for the implementation of the Strategy. We convey our gratitude to Land Salzburg for taking the responsibility for managing this Alpine Region Preparatory Action Fund (ARPAF) for the years 2017 and 2018 and thank Switzerland and Liechtenstein for covering the co-funding of its technical assistance. 8. We take note that Italy and France are considering the possibility of assuming the presidency of the Strategy in the years 2019 and 2020. The General Assembly will take a decision on this matter at its next meeting. We entrust the Executive Board to build a multi-annual perspective for the presidency of EUSALP and to come up with a proposal for the next General Assembly meeting. Annex: List of implementation priorities of the Action Groups Adopted in Munich, Bavaria, on 23 November 2017 3
List of implementation priorities of the Action Groups Objective 1: Fair access to job opportunities, building on the high competitiveness of the Region Action 1: Establishing a transnational research network in the Alpine Region Action 2: Master plan on bioeconomy for the Alpine Region Wooden constructions in the Alpine Region Health tourism in the Alpine Region Action 3: Establishing a transnational educational space for dual vocational training in the Alpine Region Objective 2: Sustainable internal and external accessibility to all Action 4: Modal shift to sustainable modes of transport and developing an EUSALP travelinformation platform Action 5: Supporting public services with a three-dimensional digital landscape model of the entire Alpine Region 4
Objective 3: A more inclusive environmental framework for all and renewable and reliable energy solutions for the future: Action 6: Next Generation Addressing the needs and ideas of the young generation for a good future of Alpine farming Reducing land consumption, fostering soil protection and promoting the alpine cultural heritage with its value chains Action 7: Establishing the Alpine Region as a model region for the development of a trans-european Network for Green Infrastructure. Action 8: Further development of integral natural hazard management to an Alpine risk governance in the Alpine Region Action 9: Energetic optimisation of buildings in the Alpine region Conceptualization and development of a EUSALP Energy Observatory, a monitoring instrument and decision making tool for energy planning and policy makers on the regional and macro-regional level Development of a concept for an annual EUSALP energy conference 5